


Cracked Mirrors

by HebrewPrincess91



Series: Mirrors [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Complete, Family, Gen, Sister-Sister Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-07 04:43:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5443727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HebrewPrincess91/pseuds/HebrewPrincess91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bink and Tavia Kitik have never needed anyone but each other, but now they are looking for their father. Boba Fett might be the only man in the galaxy who can help them unravel the mystery of their family. Set after Episode IV. Canon compliant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. BLOOD TEST

**Author's Note:**

> For this story only the canon of Episodes I-VI and _Star Wars: The Clone Wars_ as well as the EU LEGENDS stories _Star Wars: Scoundrels_ and _Star Wars: Winner Lose All_ are being included.

"We never knew our father." said Tavia.  
  
A statement of fact. A fact that had never much bothered Bink. Bink looked over at her twin who was sitting on a low stool looking at her data pad. She responded, "He died during the Clone Wars." Another fact, equally non-bothersome to Bink.   
  
Tavia looked up from her data pad, a solemn look on her face. "Yeah, but who was he? We've never known. We don't even know his name."  
  
Bink frowned a little, why was her sister suddenly bothered by this? "Does it matter? He's never been a part of our lives, we've never need a father. We've always been fine, you and me."  
  
Tavia gazed around their small apartment, apparently searching for the right words. "But, don't you think we ought to know?" She rose and moved to stand in front of the mirror hanging on the near wall. Peering into the glass Tavia looked deeply at her reflection for a moment. Speaking lowly, she said, "Whose eyes are these? Mom didn't have eyes like this."  
  
Bink shook her head. Tavia was just being silly. "Don't be ridiculous. Those are our eyes. They belong to us."  
  
Her voice more intense now, Tavia continued. "But where did we get them from? What did he see with them? Mom never really talked about him much. I guess she figured she'd tell us when we got older. Except she never got the chance." Turning to look at her sister, Tavia said, "I think we ought to know!"  
  
Bink sat up. Her sister was rarely so emphatic about anything. "But, how would we even find that out? It's not on our birth certificates. Mom didn't have it in any of her papers. There's no way we can know. The galaxy is full of billions of sentients. So many of them died during the War. It's impossible to know who our father might have been."  
  
Tavia brightened up, the conversation seemed to have gone the way she wanted. "Actually," she said, as she crossed the room and perched on the arm of her sister's chair. "I took the liberty of contacting Rachele. Remember her from the Villachor thing? Well, she has a lot of ways of finding information, and she's really slick with computers, and databases and the like. Anyway, I sent her a DNA sample a few weeks ago, and asked her to run it, checking for paternity. She sent back the results and I've waited to look at them until you were . . . ready."  
  
Astonished that her sister would do such a thing without her, Bink just sat there as Tavia, beaming, retrieved her datapad and the datacard that held the pertinent information. She perched on the arm of her sister's chair. Sliding the card into place she opened the report. Bink noticed Tavia's hands trembling with the nerves. Bink could feel her own heart racing. This is silly, she thought, even if there is a name that's all it will be. A name. It doesn't matter what it says. I've never needed a father before, and I won't need one after. Even if I have a name to look for that won't change anything, he's long dead and it's still just Tavia and me.  
  
Tavia read out the report, her words quavering with the excitement she felt. She read the message out loud, the words coming out before she had a chance to register what they actually said.  
  
The report read:  
  
REPORT: PATERNITY TEST  
  
DNA MATCH: POSITIVE  
FATHER'S DNA: ON FILE  
FATHER'S NAME: BOBA FETT  
DETAILED INFORMATION: UNAVAILABLE  
  
There was a small note from Rachele at the bottom.  
  
_Sorry girls, that's all I could find. Hope this helps._


	2. FAMILY MATTERS

Bink and Tavia stared at each other for a long moment. Tavia looked back at the report and reread it, just to be sure it said what she thought it said. Rereading it, however, didn't change the content at all. Bink took the datapad and read it herself. The words remained the same. Glancing back at Tavia, she said, "That can't be right. This has to be a mistake."  
  
Tavia twirled a strand of black hair around her finger thoughtfully. After a moment's silence she answered, "But, what if he is?" her voice grew a little excited. "Maybe he's been alive all this time. What if Mom said he died to protect us?"  
  
It made sense, as far as Bink knew Boba Fett had been a ruthless killer for a long time. Neither she or Tavia had ever been under the impression that their parents had been married. Maybe their mother hadn't wanted the complications of letting them know their father was a villainous paid murderer. Saying he died in the Clone Wars was simple. Their father could be a hero that way.  
  
Looking at the floor, Tavia said softly, almost to herself. "There's only one way to find out for sure. We have to find him. It's the only way."  
  
Normally, Bink would've been down with any plan that involved finding a dangerous and infamous person, but this time Bink didn't like the plan at all. She didn't see the need to bring others into the family. Her and Tavia had done just fine without a father for all this time. Why change now? The test was probably wrong anyway. It was all better left alone with only her and Tavia. There was no need for anyone else. "This is crazy. Tav, you have to admit, this is all really far fetched. There's no way Boba Fett is our father, and no reason to look him up if he is. We've thought our father was dead all this time, a name on a test, a test that might be wrong mind you, shouldn't change anything."  
  
Tavia dug in, she wasn't about to let this drop. "Bink, we've been alone all our lives. We've always gotten by without anyone else. But, I'm tired of that. We only have each other, but that's not enough. I want to know who we are, who we're related to, where we belong. Don't fight me on this, Bink, 'cause I'll do it alone if I have to."  
  
Bink was surprised yet again. She didn't realize her sister felt so strongly about this. Bink had never cared, but apparently, Tavia had. Reluctantly she relented. "Okay, Tav, we'll find him, we'll figure this out, and we'll do it together. I'm with you one-hundred and ten percent."  
  
Tavia smiled, relieved. "Thanks."  
  
"So, how do we find a bounty hunter?" Bink was beginning to get a little excited at the thought of tracking down one of the most notorious bounty hunters in the galaxy.  
  
"Put a bounty on him?" The two of them giggled at the thought.  
  
As it turned out, getting in touch with Boba Fett wasn't that hard. There were several means of contact a person could employ to get in touch with him for a job. Bink and Tavia, however, preferred a less direct approach. Through a bit of circuitous sleuthing, and with a touch of slicing from Tavia, they had an address on Concordia that he sometimes used.  
  
Bink was feeling unusually skeptical, normally she liked all of this wild, adventurous stuff. "What if he's not there? Where would we look then?"  
  
"We'll regroup, and do something different. But let's try, at least. I have some money left from the Villachor deal, we can go right away. The Mandalore system isn't very far."  
  
Sighing, Bink rose from her chair. "I guess we'd best get packed, then. But, just be prepared for this to not go well. I don't think Boba Fett is going to appreciate a couple of strangers popping in and claiming that he's their pop."  
  
Tavia smiled a little. "I haven't got high hopes, it would just be nice to know. That's all I want."  


* * *

  
  
Sitting on the transport, waiting to arrive on Concordia, Bink and Tavia seemed to have run out of things to say. Both of them were getting a little nervous about tracking down Boba Fett, now that they were actually doing it. After all this time, after all these years, they were actually going to meet their father. It seemed almost unreal, almost too easy. Tavia wondered if they should have done this before, years ago. Maybe then they wouldn't have had to live on their wits, only being able to trust each other. Bink wondered if this was going to change things, she liked her ghost-thief lifestyle. She and Tavia were a perfect set. Bink had only ever wanted the two of them, Tavia seemed to want more.  
  
Tavia broke the silence. "What if he is our father, how do you think he'll act? Do you think he knows?"  
  
Bink really wasn't sure. "I've heard a lot of things about Boba Fett, and most of them weren't good. He's been bounty hunting for a long time now, and I heard he assassinated Jedi for the Empire. I don't know what he's like other than he's certainly a deadly bastard. I've never heard of a person crossing him and living."  
  
Those words sunk into both of them for a minute. "We've crossed worse," Tavia said finally, "and for less reason, too. We'll be okay."  
  
"And," Bink added, grinning a little. "If he is our dad, there's no way he's going to get rid of us without a fight." The idea of going up against Boba Fett was certainly a thrilling one.  
  
Landing on Concordia, Bink and Tavia took their gear and oriented themselves on the small moon. There really wasn't a lot there. It seemed as though any development of the moon had gone by the wayside long ago. Because of this it was a fairly short walk from the spaceport to the address they had dug up.  
  
Normally, people intent on finding their birth father might walk up to the door and knock, or call and arrange a meeting place. Bink and Tavia, however, had their own ways of doing normal things. The house was a fairly straight forward, two-story affair. Nothing all that special to look at. Bink scouted the area, while Tavia ran some scans on the building. Everything was quiet, and other than standard security measures, the scans showed nothing suspicious.  
  
"I'm not sure he's home," Bink commented, looking at her scans. "Everything is pretty still, and the house is all locked up."  
  
"Let's break in then, and get a look around. He might not come here for months, but I don't want to leave without knowing something." Usually, Tavia was the one who wanted caution and Bink was the one who wanted to break in, not this time, apparently.  
  
"If this is what it takes to make you into a willing thief, I would have suggested finding our father years ago."  
  
Tavia didn't look amused. "I don't enjoy this, it just has to be done."  
  
Bink sighed and the two of them waited until dusk before they began. Both of them were skilled burglars, it didn't take long for Bink to disarm the security system, or break into the house, or for Tavia to follow her. Standing in one of the upstairs rooms, the two of them looked around at the small house. It didn't seem like Fett lived here much, if at all. The furnishings were spartan, and didn't seem to have many homey touches.  
  
Bink was beginning to think this might be a bust. "What if he moved?"  
  
"Let's just look before we jump to any conclusions." While Tavia was being riskier than usual, her personality was just as it ever was. Reasonable, responsible, and motherly.  
  
Looking did actually turn up a few things. There were a few knickknacks that were quite small, but based on their design and construction, Bink suspected of being worth a lot. She eased one into her pocket while Tavia wasn't looking. They might as well get something of value out of this ordeal.  
  
There were a few prints on the wall, some of them seemed to be art so modern that neither Bink, nor Tavia could figure out what the picture was supposed to represent.  
  
Moving from room to room they continued to inspect things. There wasn't much that said anything about Fett's personality, but all of the things that were there seemed to be of high quality. The man had an eye for value.  
  
In the room nearest the stairs the twins paused for a moment. Finding a cabinet full of weapons, the twins stopped to look at the goods. There were blasters, and knives of various types. There were small blades, and darts, and what even appeared to be a small rocket. All of the weapons were clean, charged, and ready to go at a moments notice. Picking up a blaster and looking it over, Tavia caught her sister's eye. "I think Fett lives here."  
  
"Yeah, he does, but you don't."  
  
The women whirled around, taken off guard, and saw, standing in the doorway, Boba Fett.  



	3. CLOSE ENOUGH

Fett stood in the doorway, not wearing his usual armor. His blaster was drawn on them, and he had a wary look in his eye. Turning the lights up to full brightness he viewed the intruders. Bink and Tavia were still holding some of his weapons, standing they promptly raised them, aiming at him in return. Father or not, they weren't about to be killed here.  
  
Boba had been quite surprised to find that his house on Concordia had been broken into. He had been even more surprised to find that it was no one else than the twins he had secretly hired while posing as Eanjer a few months back.  Upon seeing them, the first thought on his mind was that they were here for revenge since he had royally screwed them over on the Villachor deal. He didn't like running into people he'd double-crossed so soon. He had thought his disguise had been good, but it looked as though it hadn't been able to withstand proper scrutiny. Still, he didn't know how much they knew, so it would be best to play dumb. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"  
  
Bink kept her blaster up, but Tavia lowered hers a little and took a step forward. "We found some information, and we wanted to talk to you about it."  
  
Boba motioned to Tavia with his blaster. "Just stay right there, Missy. I don't feel comfortable with you any closer."  
  
Tavia didn't move again. Bink, however, tightened her grip on her blaster. She was ready to shoot if he so much as looked at Tavia wrong.  
  
"I'm getting out my data pad so I can show you what I mean." Tavia lowered her blaster and unclipped her datapad from her belt. Pulling up the report Rachele had sent her, Tavia tossed the datapad to Boba. He caught it, one-handed, his blaster only wavering a fraction. Keeping half an eye on the sisters he glanced at what was displayed on the screen.  
  
"What the hell?" Boba looked up from the datapad at the women. "You two can't be serious."  
  
"We are." Tavia said evenly.  
  
"How old do you think I am?"  
  
The twins exchanged a glance. "Forty?" volunteered Tavia.  
  
"Five?" Added Bink.  
  
Boba looked at them, nonplussed. "No."  
  
"Forty-six?" Tavia tried again.  
  
"Really?" Boba was beginning to get a little irritated. Sure, he had lived a hard life, but it hadn't aged him _that_ much. "I'm thirty-three, thank you, very much. And don't you forget it."  
  
Bink frowned, "But, if you're only thirty-three, you would've been..."  
  
"Too young to be your father." Boba finished.  
  
"Are you sure?" said Tavia in earnest. Bink knew this was probably a crushing blow to her sister.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. I may have had to grow up quick when I was was young, but I didn't start debauching until my voice had cracked at least. You girls have got the wrong man."  
  
"I told you that test was wrong," Bink muttered to Tavia.  
  
Tavia kept her cool. "Then what do you make of it? If you're not our father, why are the results positive?"  
  
Boba considered the question for a moment. Glancing between the twins he finally lowered his blaster. It didn't seem that they were here for revenge after all. Bink finally lowered her blaster as well.  
  
"I suppose..." he began, but didn't finish the thought.  
  
"Yeah?" said Tavia.  
  
Boba looked Tavia square in the eye. "I suppose your father must've been a clone."  
  
Tavia realized as she looked into his eyes that those were her eyes. Clone eyes.  
  
Neither Bink or Tavia had been expecting that. Tavia kept Boba's eye. "How could our father be a clone?"  
  
"The usual way, I suspect."  
  
Bink's lips twitched in a smile, but she tried to suppress it for Tavia's sake.  
  
Tavia had to be certain,."But why would your DNA show up? Aren't you a . . . uh, I mean, you're not a . . . unless you are? But?" at last she admitted, "I'm confused."  
  
"You're not the only one, but I think I follow your train of thought. The original clone donor's DNA isn't in any system. I've never really been able to figure that one out, but it's not. Something political is my guess. Since I'm the only other one with the same DNA and an actual name to go with it, I usually get tagged in these kind of things. Unless someone looks real close at the DNA it's impossible to tell the difference between my genes, and those of a clone."  
  
Tavia looked crestfallen. She had been hoping against hope that her father was alive. During the Villachor heist, when she had come so close to death, just sitting there waiting for it to come, she had realized that she would die without even knowing her father's name. Now, it looked like he might never be known.  
  
Bink knew that her sister had probably already been planning family outings for the three of them, Tavia could be so innocent and naive at times. Bink tried to help her sister see the situation clearly. "If our father's a clone, then that's that. There's nothing else we can look for. He's just one of hundreds of thousands of the exact same people who fought and died during the War. No name, no identity, nothing but a number. Tavia, there's nothing else we can do. This is all we get." Bink didn't mean to sound cynical, but this was beginning to sound like a long wild goose chase.  
  
Tavia twirled a lock of hair as she searched for words.  
  
"Hang on there," Boba interjected roughly, "he may have been a clone, but that don't mean he wasn't a man. He had an identity, they all did. Don't just write him off." Bink and Tavia looked at him, a little taken aback by his words. Boba was even a little surprised at how forcefully he had stated that. He had spent his entire life distancing himself from the clones, and this wasn't even any of his business. Still, it bugged him to hear that clones were "nothing but a number." He couldn't just let that lay.  
  
Bink was still trying to be realistic. "Don't get your hopes up Tav. More than likely there's nothing to know about him. We're back to where we were when Mom told us that our dad died during the War. That's all we've got because it's all we've ever had."  
  
Tavia was staring at the floor, Bink was afraid that this revelation had been a major blow to her sister. If their father had been _anyone_ but a clone they might have had a shot at finding out something more about him. But now?  
   
Tavia lifted her head and looked again at Boba. "I would like to hire you to help me find my father."


	4. BOUNTY HUNT

"Hire me?" While Boba couldn't tell the twins apart by sight, he was beginning to see that one was more dedicated to this than the other.    
  
"Yes." Tavia gestured to herself and Bink. "Let's do this properly. I'm Tavia, this is Bink. I want to hire you to find our father. You say that he had an identity, that's what I want. I want to know who my father was."  
  
Honestly, Boba couldn't blame them. However, he wasn't in the habit of doing favors for people, regardless of how sad their childhood was. "Listen, if you're gonna hire me, you're gonna have to make it worth my time. I don't do charity work for war orphans. So, don't say you'll hire me unless you actually intend to."  
  
"I do. I have ten thousand credits for you-"  
  
"Tav, no." Bink interjected. That was the money Tavia had been saving for her future.  
  
Tavia ignored her sister. "And since this isn't a bounty where you are in danger, and you don't have to bring anyone in, I think the lower than usual rate is fair. Are you in, or not?"  
  
Ten thousand credits wasn't much. Boba had never done a job for such a measly amount. Then again, most jobs actually meant he had to risk his neck to either capture or kill someone. "One week." He finally said. "I'll give you one week of my time, and whatever I can come up with concerning your father in that time. I'll do my best, but I also make no guarantees that you'll actually get what you want in that time. That's all I can do for you for ten thousand."  
  
Bink wasn't sure if she was furious with Tavia for offering, or furious with Fett for accepting, but she was furious. "Tav, he's dead and gone. There's no way he's worth ten thousand credits at this point. That's probably more than was ever spent on him to begin with. Tav, be reasonable. You can't do this. That money is for your future, not to spend finding a past that makes no difference anyway. Our father was a clone, can we let that be the end of it?"  
  
Tavia looked at Bink. "This is my money and this is what I want to do with it. I can get more another time. I'll make it up somehow. But, I'm not losing this opportunity to know who we are. We may not find anything, but we have to try. Bink, this isn't just a fancy that I'll forget about in a month, this is something that has haunted me my entire life. I have to know. It's not a matter of choice anymore, this is something I need."  
  
Tavia seemed to be a little red in the face now. Bink could feel her own face starting to burn. Boba stepped closer to the two women, he didn't really like sticking his nose into a family disagreement, but this wasn't the usual kind of fight. "Girls," he said, his dark eyes flicking from one face to the other. "You need to figure out if you want to do this or not. It seems like this has been important enough for the both of you to come from...wherever it is you're from and break into my home. I'd say you're past the point of no return. You have to choose now, though."  
  
"I really want to do this." said Tavia.  
  
Bink could tell she'd lost this one. "And I think it's a waste of time, and most especially money, but if Tav is in, so am I."  
  
"Good, now we're getting somewhere." Boba nodded to the blasters the twins were holding. "Now, if you could put those back, that'd be great. And wipe them off, I don't want your skin oil deteriorating them. And make sure they go back in the same spots they were, they're in there a certain way for a reason."  
  
Bink and Tavia did as they were instructed, Boba stood over them and corrected them until everything was put away to his satisfaction. Boba noted that the two women were dressed in identical jumpsuits, complete with harnesses and other gear. He'd seen the women work during the Villachor Op, they were good. "So, girls, I'll toss in an extra day of my time if you show me how you broke in here, and what a person could do to prevent that."  
  
Bink and Tavia glanced at each other, and cracked identical grins. "We can show you how we got in," said Tavia.  
  
"But," said Bink, winking. "There's nothing you can do to keep us out."  
  
The twins then proceeded to show him, rather proudly, exactly how they had cased his place, decided on weak points, and proceeded to enter his house. Demonstrating the use of the harnesses and guide wires, Bink and Tavia both exited, and entered the house. All without tripping any lights, or alarms, or sensors.  
  
Boba watched, half amused, as they performed for him. They looked like kids showing off a new trick. While they seemed to be on opposite sides when it came to finding their father, they worked together almost seamlessly. Yes indeed, they were good. He would keep them in mind if he ever had a bounty that needed a couple of burglars.  
  
As Bink and Tavia re-entered the room, smiling, Bink proclaimed, "And that's why there's nothing you can do to keep us out if we want in."  
  
"Challenge accepted, but that's for another time. Now comes the fun part of a bounty hunt, gathering intel. The two of you need to tell me everything you know about your parents."  
  
Moving to the kitchen they sat at the table while Boba conducted a basic interview with them. He asked them detailed questions and let them talk, making notes of what they said. The interview didn't last long, neither Bink or Tavia knew much. Boba finished taking his notes. "If we're lucky, this might not be too hard. What kind of luck do the both of you have?"  
  
"Not great," said Tavia, thinking about Lando and the Tchines.  
  
"Rotten," said Bink, thinking about Solo and the CreditTabs.  
  
"Well, then, we'll have to rely on skill."

* * *

  
  
After piecing together the clues, Boba had a place to start. The girl's mother had never really left the planet she lived on. Unless she took a trip no one knew about, it was likely she met the twin's father there. If they could find the clone units that had been stationed there during the war, around the time their mother became pregnant, it might be possible to narrow down who the father was.  
  
"Now we run into the first hurdle," said Boba, "we gotta get into Clone Wars archives."  
  
"How hard is that?" said Bink.  
  
"Harder than you'd think. The Empire has locked down a lot of the records from the war. It's not always easy to get into the information, and you have to have a little thing called clearance to really find anything." Boba raked a hand through his curly hair. He eyed Bink for a moment, then looked at Tavia. "How do you look in an Imperial uniform?"  
  
Tavia leaned forward. "Are we breaking in?"  
  
"You got it, darlin'." Boba felt the length of his hair. "Which one of you can give a military haircut?"  
  
It was decided that Tavia was more trustworthy with scissors around a persons head, so she was given the job of making Boba look like a soldier. While she chopped away at the dark curls, he outlined his plan. "There's a record center on Mandalore. It's not as big, or complete as the one on Coruscant, but it has some info from the Clone Wars and the Death Watch Anarchy, and the like. I've been there a couple times, and unless you're an officer with some clearance, you can't get near the records. Still, it's easier to get into than anything more towards the Core, and the records are fairly comple-, hey watch it! I need that ear."  
  
Tavia looked apologetic. "Sorry."  
  
"It's just a nick," observed Bink. "If that had been me you would have lost the ear."  
  
"Thanks," Boba said, putting a finger to the cut and looking at the blood. "I'll remember that if I ever need an ear removed."  
  
"It adds to your appeal," said Tavia.  
  
"Yeah," said Bink, "it just makes you look more..."  
  
"Vicious?" said Tavia.  
  
"Or killer-like?" said Bink.  
  
"And why," said Boba, who was trying to sit even more still lest Tavia get the other ear too. "Would I need to look like either of those things when I wear a helmet all the time?"  
  
Bink considered this for a moment. "Well, I do have to say, you don't look nearly as bad as I was expecting."  
  
"Of course," said Tavia, "you're about half the age we thought you were. All the rumors make it sound like you've been around for decades."  
  
"Stop jabbering and make sure you ain't jabbin' me with those scissors." He said warningly, touching his ear again he saw it hadn't quite stopped bleeding yet. "I can't help how people talk about me, but you really shouldn't believe everything you hear. And anyone can look like a killer, it's not a special birthmark that's handed out to certain people."  
  
Bink thought he had a point. "Are you saying some of what's out there about you isn't true?"  
  
"It depends."  
  
"What about the one where you fought a gamorrean with an electro-whip?"  
  
"That's not true."  
  
"That you never take off your helmet?"  
  
"Obviously not true, though I may consider it if your sister keeps hacking away bits of my charming visage."  
  
"How about when you planted a bomb in the hutt syndicate?"  
  
"Also, not true." Boba half wondered where some of these rumors even came from.  
  
"What about when you fought a space slug with two knives and no space suit?"  
  
"That one's a bit exaggerated."  
  
"That sleeping with you is as close to heaven as a person get get without dying?"  
  
Boba couldn't help but smirk, a bit amused, at that one. "I will neither confirm, nor deny the veracity of that statement."  
  
"What about the puffer pig, and the tranquilizers in the fiftieth story of that condo?"  
  
"Okay, that one's true."  
  
Tavia put up the scissors, and walked around to see how everything looked. Bink joined her. Boba didn't quite like the way they both tilted their heads to the same side. Or that Bink, wordlessly, held up her left hand and waved it vaguely, gesturing toward him. Tavia nodded, and return to cutting his hair. Boba had never believed that twins were telepathic, but these two were weird enough they were beginning to stretch that belief.  
  
It took a few more minutes, but eventually Bink and Tavia finally had his hair the way they wanted it. Looking at his reflection, Boba had to admit that it looked pretty good, for a military haircut. "Have either of you ever pretended to be an Imperial before?"  
  
The twins nodded, Bink cracked a grin. "Tavia almost got engaged the last time we did, though."  
  
Tavia blushed. "I did not."  
  
"Well, if we're gonna do this, we need to get kitted out. There's a surplus store down the way and I think the two of you are more than able to liberate a few things for yourselves. Be back in forty-five minutes."  
  
Bink and Tavia weren't used to being bossed around when they were on a job, still, they rose and collected their gear. Passing a look between them they shouldered their tools and harnesses, and slipped into the dark.


	5. ARCHIVES

It was surprisingly easy to look like Imperials. Bink and Tavia had pulled this one a time or two before. It was like any performance. You just had to act like you belonged there. Tavia and Fett had worked up the ID's, and the twins had found perfectly identical uniforms. They were ready.  
  
Boba took point, he seemed to know where he was going. Tavia and Boba entered the archive complex, Boba flashing his ID at the security guard. The guard gave it, and him a cursory glance, and waved him on. Tavia followed and received no trouble. She was a little nervous, but kept her cool. This was nothing she couldn't handle. They were so close to finding out about their father. This had to be done. Bink was outside, ready to start the backup plan at a moments notice. Their gear was ready, and their plan was simple. Nothing to worry about.  
  
Boba sensed that Tavia was a bit uneasy. The set of her shoulders and the posture of her arms made that clear enough. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, he needed her to keep it together, she had to loosen up if this was going to work. She caught his eye and twitched him a smile before taking a breath and relaxing.  
  
Tavia had found since the Villachor heist that she didn't trust these kind of situations anymore. She'd never liked them, but she had come so close to serious trouble last time that all she could think about was almost dying, helpless, at the hands of the Falleen. If it hadn't been for Eanjeer, or whoever he was, she and Bink would be dead. It bothered her to run these ops, she didn't like it.  
  
They came to the archive desk, it was manned by a droid that scanned ID's. While the false ID's were good enough to pass some scrutiny, Tavia hadn't been able to program the necessary clearance into them. This, of course, just meant that getting the access they needed required a little sleight of hand.  Tavia lingered back in the hallway, tapping on her datapad, while Boba approached. Boba held out his ID to be scanned. His was actually an Imperial ID, apparently he worked with the Empire enough they had given him some low-level clearance for his different missions. Tavia had been able to create a different identity for him, while maintaining his clearance level on the ID. Tavia's ID, however, wouldn't stand up to close observation. After the ID was scanned the droid pressed the door release and Boba opened the door. This was Tavia's cue.  
  
Marching up militarily, datapad in hand, she barked, "Hold the door, soldier."  
  
Boba glanced around and snapped to attention as Tavia strode past him, looking for all the world like she did this everyday.  
  
Boba waited until she was well past him, then entered the archive himself. The droid didn't seem to have been alerted to anything unusual, it seemed that they were safe for now. Boba knew these droids weren't the brightest, and had been counting on that for this to work. They had to be split up now, there were several places in the archives they needed information from, and it would be quicker this way. It would be best if they didn't press their luck. Boba went to the part of the archive that stored information on military movements during the Clone Wars. Calling up the time frame he was looking for, he began copying the information onto a datacard.  
  
Boba finished copying those files and keyed in a different search. It took a few minutes to get everything Boba wanted from this section, he hoped Tavia was having some luck with her part of it. It would be a pain to have to do her job as well.  
  
Boba moved to a different section of the archives, he was looking for other records now. There was no reason not to get something personally helpful out of all this effort, after all.  
  
After the twenty minutes they had allotted themselves ran out, Tavia exited the archive. Boba lingered until he saw another officer who had been using the archive leaving, following behind he blended, looking for all the world like a low-ranking officer taking care of archive chores.  
  
Everything had gone smoothly, they hadn't needed Bink or to employ their back up plan. This was good. They met Bink at the rendezvous point and quickly stripped out of their Imperial garb. Even without an Imperial uniform, Boba still had a rather military look. When they stood once more in their street clothes, Boba carefully stashed the data cards in his pocket. "That went better than expected, you two don't seem to be so unlucky after all."  
  
Tavia loosed her hair from the conservative style she'd worn as an Imperial. "Maybe fate is on our side for this one." Combing her hair back into a ponytail and refastening it she stood, ready to pass as a civilian once more. Bink followed Tavia's lead, and arranged he hair the same. Boba noted that the twins were once more in matching outfits. Tavia noticed him looking from her to Bink and back again. "We usually dress identically on jobs, it helps if one of us gets into a tight spot."  
  
Boba had already figured that, he had seen as much on the Villachor Op, though they didn't know that. He had been hoping that observing them closely enough might reveal a visual cue to tell them apart. So far, there was nothing, of course, it didn't help that they were trying to look identical.  
  
They came out to the main street once more, intending to head back to the spaceport and from there back to Concordia. As they walked they passed a two-man patrol of the Mandalorian police force. Before Bink, Tavia, and Fett had even taken two more steps one of the officers had whirled around and called back to them, "Stop right there!"  
  
Fett bolted. Not knowing why, or what else to do, Bink and Tavia did as well, but in different directions. Heart racing, Tavia pelted along the first alleyway she came across. Turning right, she raced down the intersection. She needed to find a place she could lose her pursuers.  
  
Bink had gone a different direction, hoping her sister would be okay, she had run toward the market places. Mandalore had some fabulous open air markets during the growing season, and Bink figured they would be as good a place to hide as any. Once she made her way into the market, she slowed down, trying to look as though she'd been there for hours. It was the work of a moment to lift a shopping bag and a few items to put in it. Strolling unconcernedly, she meandered through the crowded plaza. She had done this dozens of times before, no need to worry.  
  
The police were beginning to work their way through the market place. They were showing a holo around that seemed to have have their image on it. Bink decided to try to clear herself for good by forcing an encounter. She carefully stole a couple of long scarves from a market booth. Arranging one of them to look like a skirt, and draping the other over her head, she kept her eyes peeled for a pushover. This would certainly be easier than the time she had pulled this during Solo's heist. She found a soft target and made sure they ran into each other. The officer was older, nearing retirement age. She'd seen the type before, one who liked attention from pretty young women and would never suspect duplicitous intentions.  
  
Flashing a charming smile, Bink made eye contact, then came over to the officer. "Sir, I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for a pella mellon stand and I can't seem to find any, and I've been looking for almost an hour now. Do you know where they might be?"  
  
The officer looked pleased to be helpful. He beamed, and leaning down, put a hand on Bink's back, gesturing with the other. "Well, sure, little miss, if you head up there and take a left, you'll find a vendor with all the pella mellons you could want."  
  
Bink smiled warmly. Making sure she was seen talking to an officer by a few others she chatted him up a little longer. This was second nature to her. After establishing her innocence she moved off toward the pella mellon stand. A part of her was worried though, Tavia was on her own, and ever since the heist she had worried a lot more about her sister. Tavia was tough in her own way, certainly a lot tougher than Bink sometimes gave her credit for. She trusted Tavia could handle herself, but fear gnawed at her all the same.  
  
Tavia had lost her followers for the time being, and had taken a route that had let out near the spaceport. She found herself a bar that looked crowded and noisy. Perfect. Upon entering she found it full of beings from all corners of the galaxy, Mandalore was still a popular place to visit, apparently. Spotting a booth with only a lone person sitting there, Tavia made her move.  
  
Sliding into the seat, Tavia gave her most charming smile. "This seat taken?"  
  
The red-haired woman in the booth gave her a scrutinizing look. "I'm not looking to buy anything."  
  
Still charming, Tavia continued, "I'm just looking for some company." She just needed to wait here for a few minutes.  
  
The older woman looked unimpressed. "I'm not looking to buy any _company_ , either."  
  
Tavia just smiled, blushing a little "I'm not suggesting, I didn't mean to say-"  
  
Just then three Mandalorian police officers entered the bar. News spread quick on Mandalore, apparently. The red-haired woman raised her eyebrows in a knowing fashion. The police seemed to have an image they were flashing around, and the screens in the bar were showing a security still of the three of them on the street with a superimposed image of Boba in the corner, but so far no one had pointed in her direction. The red-haired woman tapped her on the shoulder and directed her attention to a door not too far away. Both of them rose and sidled to the door. Ignoring the _EMPLOYEES ONLY_ sign they slipped inside. Scaling the storage shelves, Tavia lifted one of the ceiling panels and slipped inside, the red-haired woman scrambled up a little slower, and with Tavia's help also took cover. Once replaced, no one would ever be able to tell they had ever been there.  
  
Boba had other problems. It was mostly him that the Mandalorians were looking for. Not only was he associated with the terrorist group Death Watch, he also happened to be banished from Mandalore. His recent activity with Death Watch must have had the Mandalorians on high alert. The one police officer had recognized him surprisingly quickly, Boba figured they must have met sometime recently.  
  
Now, Boba was waiting for the right moment. He had run the instant the officer called to him. After a while on Mandalore a person began to figure out that it was never wise to stick around and talk to the guards. If they stopped you, you were as good as guilty. Mandalore had the death penalty, and they were not shy about using it.  
  
There was a citywide alert out now that his presence was known. A picture of him was flashing on billboards and over the holo alerting the general public to keep a watch out and stay away since he was presumed armed and dangerous. Boba was hoping to head towards the spaceport, but he knew Mandalore would have that area locked down and flooded with police.  
  
Edging towards the lesser traveled streets, Boba did his best to look like an average citizen. Part of him wished Mandalore was more like the outer rim where a person could keep their face covered at all times and not arouse suspicion.  
  
Rounding a corner to an alley he unexpectedly came face to face with a police officer's blaster. Boba stopped short, incredibly aware that he had nothing but so much air between his face and the blaster tip. The officer was joined by another who also had his blaster drawn. "Hands up!" the police officer commanded. "And no funny business."  
  
Boba slowly raised his hands, he didn't want to give this guy an excuse to shoot him. His brain was coolly assessing the situation, trying to figure out the best way to extricate himself. "Easy there," Boba said, calmly. "What's this all about?"  
  
"Don't be coy." The officer seemed to know he had the right man, not even a flicker of doubt crossed his face. The blaster didn't even twitch. The officer opened his comm channel. "Officer Tex'd here, I have the convict at the corner of Manx and Spur. His accomplices are not with him. Send backup."  
  
The last two words were two words Boba hated, he had to get going before they got here. "Mind explaining what this is all about? I think you must have me confused with someone else."  
  
"Put your hands on your head and interlace your fingers." This guy was not messing around. Playing innocent didn't seem to be working, time for something new. The second officer patted him down, taking his ID, his various small weapons, and also removing the packet of datacards he was carrying. "On your knees," the officer continued, "and stay quite until the others arrive. If you so much as blink threateningly I will kill you." So much for a peaceful Mandalore.  
  
Boba might have tried something then if it had only been one officer. However, two with weapons on him did not seem like good odds. For now he knelt, a risky plan beginning to form. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd been in this situation, and most likely wouldn't be the last, but it was uncomfortable all the same. Keeping his eye on the police he saw the other one move to the side a little in order to keep him covered from multiple angles. The second officer seemed to be the weaker of the two, and if there was one thing Boba loved, it was an easy target.  
  
Addressing the second officer, Boba said, "Aren't you going to cuff me or something? That's what they do in all the shows."  
  
"Shut up." said the first officer. Keeping his blaster trained on Boba's head. "Just keep quiet. You can talk at the precinct office."  
  
Boba tried a different tactic. Fixing his gaze on the second officer, he watched him. Boba could hear sirens in the background. They would likely be here in three minutes judging by the noise. The officer he was watching was beginning to get a little unnerved. That was good, Boba needed him a little jumpy. So far he'd been very cooperative with the police, he hoped that it was enough to leave them unprepared. He let another minute tick by.  
  
Suddenly, Boba sprang to his feet, dodging to the side as a blaster bolt grazed by, and tackled the first officer, who was the closest. The second officer fired at him a few times, then realized the first officer was under assault it was probably a bad idea to shoot at the two of them lest the officer get a blaster bolt as well as the prisoner. In a panic, the officer began calling into his comm.  
  
Boba grappled with the first officer who was a good sight stronger than he looked. He was also a little taller than Boba giving him the advantage of leverage. The officer was attempting to bring the weapon around and shoot Boba. Boba knew at this range, with no armor on, any kind of shot could really do some damage. Boba, however, had the advantage of knowing a few things about fighting for his life. Focusing on dislodging the weapon from the officer's hand, Boba struck the wrist against the pavement then twisted the barrel in quick succession which broke the officer's grip. The officer was not about to let Boba use the blaster or get away, using his other hand the officer pulled his duty knife from his belt and stabbed at the closest bit of Boba he could find.  
  
Boba screamed in pain as the knife bit into his hip, but he had the blaster now, and so the advantage. Pointing the weapon at the officer Boba rolled away as best he could before a quick reversal of fortune could take place. The officer was still sprawled on the pavement. Boba stood shakily, that knife had certainly done it's job. The sirens were louder, Boba needed to be out of here now. Aiming the blaster at the officer Boba shot him twice. Turning quickly Boba swung his blaster around to where the second officer had been, and saw him laying on the floor with a red-haired woman standing nearby, inspecting one of Boba's weapons that had been taken from him. One of the twins was with her, holding the data cards he noticed.  
  
The woman came over to Boba and greeted him in Mandalorain, he cocked a half-smile, momentarily forgetting his pain, and greeted her back. They gently bumped foreheads together before Boba said, "How long were you standing there, Bo-Katan? I could've used a little help you know."  
  
"You looked like you had everything under control." Bo-Katan shrugged unconcernedly.  
  
"I think we need to leave." the twin said, urgently. "Now."  
  
The Bo-Katan motioned to Boba and the three of them entered a nearby alley. She showed them into a small room at the back of an out-of-business shop. It was the kind of place police wouldn't bother with unless there was a reason to look. Once inside Boba produced a small bottle of wound glue and proceeded to undress enough to treat his stab wound. The knife hadn't hit any major arteries, so the glue would do until he had a chance to get to a hospital of some kind. For the time being he just needed to avoid any more knife fights.  
  
"Will you be okay?" the twin queried. Boba still couldn't tell which one she was.  
  
"I'll live."  
  
"I called Bink, she said she'd be at the spaceport and ready to go." It was Tavia then, good to know.  
  
Bo-Katan said, "They should be done with the spaceport soon. They've been searching it for a bit now, I expect things to cool down here in an hour or so. After that it's just a matter of heightened security."  
  
Finishing with his wound, and satisfied that it was sealed, Boba looked at Tavia, and then Bo-Katan. "How'd the two of you meet up?"  
  
"I was trying to hide." said Tavia.  
  
"And I was looking for you. Since she's one of you 'accomplices' I thought it might be easier to find you if I stuck with her. Looks like it worked."  
  
"Yeah?" said Boba, "And what do you need me for?"  
  
"We can talk later." She said, winking and placing a finger to her lips.  
  
The three of them joined Bink shortly thereafter. Bink had a bag filled with things from the market and what looked to be about a half dozen pella mellons. "I brought lunch," she said when she caught sight of her sister.  
  
"Let's make it a picnic lunch and get out of here." said Tavia.


	6. CT-0097

Once back on Concordia, Boba temporarily said good-bye to Bo-Katan. She pressed a datapad into his hand. "I'll find you in a few days, when your 'friends' are gone. We've got Death Watch business to discuss." she said, before sauntering off.  
  
It took Boba a couple of days and some sifting before a picture of the clone they were looking for began to piece itself together. During that time Tavia was imagining all kinds of possibilities. She had never considered that her father might be a clone. She didn't know they were even allowed to have families. The clones were just a feature in the history books, they hardly registered as real people. After all, they had been manufactured as soldiers, just like the droids had.  
  
Once all the information had been compiled Boba began, "It looks like, there was a unit stationed near where your mother lived around the time she got pregnant with you two. It's the only unit in the area, and as far as I can find there's no records of any other clones being on planet during this time, or for most of the war, so I'd say it's a safe bet that you dad is one of the clones in this unit."  
  
"How are we going to narrow it down?" Tavia didn't feel too confident that it was possible.  
  
"Deduction and induction. There's a few suspects here in these records, but I'm liking the looks of this clone. ARC trooper CT-0097, also known as Looker."  
  
"What's special about him?" Bink wasn't sure that Fett wouldn't just give them some good sounding info and then chase them off with no resolution.  
  
"Firstly, he was written up while stationed on planet after sneaking away about a dozen times. The report doesn't get into too much detail, but he was doing it enough that it was almost a regular thing. If that doesn't say illicit romance, I don't know what does. Next, once off planet, he placed a number of calls back to the planet over the following months. He also received some messages from the planet. To me that says long distance romance. Finally, after he was killed, his commanding officer placed a call to your mother's planet, when, as far as I know, he had no reason too. Sounds like a notification of death to me. Then, a few months later, the two of you were born carrying clone DNA from your father. Certainly not a coincidence in my mind."  
  
"Does this mean we can never know for sure?" Tavia was a little disappointed that there were no definite answers.  
  
"No, you can't know for sure. All you have is likelihood. However, as far as fathers go, this guy seems to be half decent." Calling up detailed information on Looker, Boba continued reading what he had discovered. "He was a good soldier. He was promoted three times, and given a special commendation for valor. Fought in many of the major battles including on Ryloth, Christophsis, and the First Battle of Geonosis." Boba read the last word normally, but as he read it he felt his heart catch all the same. It had been a long time, it shouldn't matter anymore. "It was during the first battle that he was promoted for the first time."  
  
Bink studied her hands which were folded on her lap. Tavia was gazing at Boba. Both stayed silent, processing what they were hearing. Boba continued with the last of the information. "He was part of the first batch of clones. A group called the First One Hundred. Nothing special about them other than they were decanted first."  
  
Bink piped up at this point. "Is there an image of him? I'd like to know what he looks like."  
  
Tavia gave her sister a somewhat surprised look. Bink, however, wasn't looking at her twin. Boba scanned through the information he'd downloaded, then called up the only image associated with Looker's file. The holo sprang to life, projecting the head and shoulders image of a clone. The face was just like any other clone face, except for the fact that Looker had tattooed markings near his eyes. There were three marks radiating off the outer corner of both eyes. The top and bottom marks were straight, and the middle mark was jagged like a lightning bolt.  
  
Bink and Tavia gazed at the image of the man who was probably their father. They saw he had their eyes, just as they had with Boba. Their dark hair, their skin tone, it was all from this man. Bink unexpectedly had to blink away tears as she looked at the image. It had never mattered to her, but it was different looking at a picture. Knowing his story. It seemed important after all.  
  
Against his own better judgement Boba broke the silence. "I remember him. At least, I knew him a little."  
  
The twins turned to look at him, they knew Fett was a clone, that was obvious enough, but they weren't sure if or how he was connected to the clones from the War. Or, for that matter, why he was so young. "What was he like?"  
  
"There's not a lot to say. He was nice enough. They all were." Boba thought back for a moment, it had been a lifetime ago it seemed.  
  
Bink and Tavia leaned forward with anticipation, when Boba didn't immediately continue they said exasperatedly, "And?"  
  
"I remember Dad spent a lot of time with them for a while. He did a lot with the first groups. I was pretty young then, I don't remember a lot, but they were all good men and soldiers. Looker. . . hmmm . . . let me think back for a minute." Boba retreated into his memory, searching for that particular face among so many faces. After a long pause he continued, "I do remember watching Dad and a groups of ARCs from that unit working on sniper training. I was around nine I think. It was pretty impressive when I was that age to watch them hitting targets so far away. Dad was pleased with how well they took to it."  
  
Boba lapsed into silence. The twins felt a twinge of dissatisfaction. For Tavia she had wondered for so long, thinking about all the possibilities, and here it was. She knew nothing could possibly have lived up to her fantasies, but to have the info right there, so plain and barren, she felt a little let down.  
  
For Bink, she had never really wondered, taking what their mother had said at face value. Now, though, she felt this opened a new world of meaning for her and Tavia. Their father had been commissioned and grown with hundreds of thousands of others. He had fought and died for the Republic. He had served Jedi, fought droids, and traveled from one end of the galaxy to the other. He had been part of the most pivotal time in galactic history. And he was their father.  
  
Tavia moved to sit next the Bink. Bink draped an arm around her sister's shoulder. Tavia's lips twitched into the smallest smile. Bink nodded slightly. It wasn't a lot, but it was something.  
  
Eventually, Boba stood, holding the datacards with the information about Looker. Limping to the twins he handed them the datacards. "That's all there is girls. It'll have to do."  
  
Standing, Tavia took the cards. "Thank you."


	7. EPILOGUE

Several days later Bink and Tavia were on Mandalore looking for transit out of the system.  After paying Fett his ten thousand they were limited to the cheapest seats available on an "economy class" transport. "Looks like we're starting from scratch again." Bink remarked.    
  
"But it was worth it, though." Tavia said, looking around the spaceport one last time.  
  
Bink pulled up the image of Looker on her datapad. "I guess." Looking through the other datacards that Boba had provided them she noticed one of them was a different colour than the others. The ones that had archive info were all the same make, this one was different. Waving Tavia over, Bink slid it into her datapad, curious. There was only one short message on it:      
  
REXTAL PLACE,  
CORVBISI STREET  
  
Asking a nearby Mandalorian, Bink inquired, "Where's Rextal Place on Corvbisi street?"  
  
The man gestured. "It's thataway, it's the nice end of town there though, only the richest of rich people live there. No point in the two of you going out there though. It's a big gated community. Unless you have a lot of money, you ain't getting into that development."  
  
Bink looked at Tavia and winked as Tavia rolled her eyes. "Oh really?"  



End file.
